1. Go to www.Mobicip.com2. At the top right-hand corner there will be a login prompt. Enter the email address and password you used to setup your Mobicip account.3. Once logged in, you will notice 2 tabs on your screen: “Reports,” and “Settings.” Click the “Settings” Tab.

4. Click the “Categories” tab to see several drop-down categories for filtering purposes. These allow you to customize your child’s settings for internet usage. 5. At the top of the screen, you will notice “Block these categories for _____ (there is a drop-down bar here, and will you select which user you want to block categories for based upon their filtering level. i.e. elementary school, middle school, or high school). 6. Click the green plus sign for the category, “Chat/Blog/Social Networking” to see a drop-down menu of each option within that category. 7. Items with a check mark designate categories that will automatically be blocked based upon the filtering level the user has been selected for. In order to ensure that all social networking websites are blocked, check all of the boxes within the category.

8. Once you are finished, make sure to click the green “Save” button at the top right next to the user’s name.

2. At the top right-hand corner there will be a login prompt. Enter the email address and password you used to setup your Mobicip account.

3. Once logged in, you will notice 2 tabs on your screen: “Reports,” and “Settings.” Click the “Settings” Tab.

4. Next, click the “Websites” tab on the left side of the screen. You will notice 2 options below the word websites: “Block” and “Allow.”

5. Click the “Allow” tab. Make sure the correct user is selected at the top drop-down box.

6. In order to whitelist an entire domain extension, enter “.com” “.net” “.org” “.co.uk”, etc. Next, select the green “Allow” button in order to whitelist the domain extension, which will work with monitoring only, and not filtering.

7. Once finished, allow up to 60 minutes for the categories and websites settings to register the changes you have made and to take effect on your device.

Look out for our next Mobicip FAQ spotlight to learn how to block social networking sites using Mobicip Premium.

While many schools are starting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Initiatives to further classroom education via technology, mobile Internet safety service Mobicip.com reinforces the need to ensure child safety.

Thousand Oaks, CA - Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, is a key enabler for mobile learning projects in K-12 schools. While typical mobile learning projects are sponsored by the school, mobile learning is slowly and inexorably moving towards what is called BYOD. Bring Your Own Device is a movement that helps get technology in the classroom in a way that is very affordable for schools (meaning parents or PTAs pitch in) while still being on the cutting edge of educational practices. Mobicip, an organization dedicated to enabling students to learn on the mobile web, reminds parents of K-12 students during this back to school time that while movements like BYOD can help get technology in classrooms, it is always important to ensure that online safety controls and online content filtering be factored into the equation.

“I have heard talk of all students in K-12 schools expected to have BYOD learning devices by 2015”, says Suren Ramasubbu, Founder and CEO of Mobicip.com. “In quite a few instances, the parents or PTA are pitching in and purchasing the technology to empower always-on access to learning. While this is a creative, fast and affordable way to get technology in the classroom, it is important for these parents and educators to have content filters set up on their kid’s devices to protect the K-12 students using any online or mobile device so that the focus stays on education.”

According to Project Tomorrow’s Learning in the 21st Century: 2011 Trends Update, “Three times as many high school students have access to online learning and twice as many middle school students are learning online, since Speak Up 2007.” The report continues by stating; “More than 40 percent of students now designate online classes as an essential component of their learning experience. Administrators and parents are increasingly supporting the students’ vision for learning online.” EdReach, an online platform for passionate, outspoken educators did a recent post about BYOD saying that “While BYOD is far too radical for many school districts at this time, it is inevitable that this is the future. The sooner districts embrace this future and begin to plan for it, the more effective this transition will be.”

BYOD may not be the success formula to get devices in all classrooms, but the facts do support that online and mobile learning works, so there are stronger efforts to get devices in the classrooms in as many ways as possible. Project Tomorrow’s Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! said in their report that "90 percent of the Mobile Learning Explorer administrators state that mobile computers increase students’ potential for success, as compared to 59 percent of the non-Mobile Learning Explorer administrators." "62 percent of responding parents report that if their child’s school allowed devices to be used for educational purposes, they would likely purchase a mobile device for their child."

The future of education is growing more and more mobile. BYOD is something back-to-school minded parents and educators may have read about, considered starting or have been in meetings about this already. Leaders in online safety like Mobicip.com, who are dedicated to enabling online learning, remind deciding parties that mobile kids deserve to safely use and learn on the mobile web and that does involve making sure all devices have content filtering on them to ensure CIPA compliance, eRate eligibility, and to keep the focus on learning.

About Mobicip’s Web Filtering and Dynamic Parental Control Software
Mobicip is the most popular content filtering solution available on the App Store. The best-selling Mobicip Safe Browser app has been consistently rated among top paid apps, downloaded and used by tens of thousands of parents and several K-12 schools and school districts in the US, and was recently recognized by the 2010 Parents’ Choice Awards as a Top Mobile App. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering includes a new YouTube filter, Windows 7 Content Filter, and Linux Content Filter for parents and educators to ensure their children’s Internet safety while they are on the web. In addition to enabling online learning by supporting iOS-based devices, Mobicip partners with schools like Comal ISD to create custom app solutions that further enable online learning. Learn more at www.Mobicip.com.

Now that you have signed up for a Premium subscription, follow the step-by-step instructions below, to customize your child’s Internet using Mobicip Premium!1. Go to www.mobicip.com2. At the top right-hand corner there will be a login prompt. Enter the email address and password you used to setup your Mobicip account.3. Once logged in, you will notice 2 tabs on your screen: “Reports,” and “Settings.” Click the “Settings” Tab.

4. Next, click the “Websites” tab on the left side of the screen. You will notice 2 options below the word websites: “Block” and “Allow.”5. Click the “Allow” tab. Make sure the correct user is selected at the top drop-down box.

6. Enter the website(s) you wish to allow and click the green “Allow” button after entering each website URL.7. In order to ONLY allow websites to be visited that you have entered in this category, click the box that says, “Allow ONLY the websites on this list.”

8. Once finished, allow up to 60 minutes for the categories and websites settings to register the changes you have made and to take effect on your device.

Look out for our next Mobicip FAQ spotlight to learn how to setup Mobicip in no-filtering mode with only monitoring enabled.

1. Once you have set up an E-mail Report, and the child has had sufficient time to browse the Internet on their device, click on the “Reports” tab.

2. Make sure that the correct user is selected.3. Then make sure that you select either “Allowed” to see only websites that Mobicip has allowed to be viewed, “Blocked” to view only the websites that Mobicip has blocked, or “All Websites” to see both.

4. When websites have been blocked, the reason for the block will also be noted.

5. Finally, a graph will be shown next to the history of data. This shows the types of categories that can, and have, been blocked by Mobicip in a circular graph.

That’s it! An email report will also be sent to the email address you provided with a break-down of websites viewed, as well!

1. Go to www.Mobicip.com2. At the top right-hand corner there will be a log in prompt. Enter the email address and password you used to setup your Mobicip account.3. Once logged in, you will notice 2 tabs on your screen: “Reports,” and “Settings.” Click the “Settings” Tab.

HOW TO SETUP EMAIL REPORTS

4. On the left side of the page, there are several tabs. Click the “Email Reports” tab.5. In the “Send reports to” box, enter the email address you would like your user’s reports to be sent to. To send reports to multiple email addresses, separate each separate email address with a comma.6. Next, select if you would like to receive email reports Monthly or Weekly with the drop-down box.7. Then, select which day of each month you would like to receive your reports on. (i.e. To receive reports on the first day of each month, simply click “1”).8. Select which format you would like your reports to be in (text, CSV, or a PDF file)9. Finally, select your correct time zone.10. Click the green “Apply Settings” button to save your selections.

"For Mobicip co-founder Suren Ramasubbu, they key is to educate your child about what's acceptable on the Internet, and then to slowly let go.

'I compare it learning to drive,' Ramasubbu said. 'Initially, you don't want to give him a car and learn by himself. You spend some time and allow him to learn, driving with you sitting beside (him), and then when you're comfortable and he's comfortable, then you can let him go.'

Meanwhile, Ramasubbu says one of the best ways to keep tabs on your kids is by becoming their friend on Facebook, so you can see what they and their friends are talking about. Mind you, you have to hope your kids don't realize that they can hide any status update, wall post, photo or other item from you by customizing their privacy settings."